# CEO Riggs Eckelberry of OriginClear Discusses the Power of Intuition in Running a Successful Business 
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-06-08
Category: BUSINESS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business
Meta Title: The Importance of Intuition in Business Decision-Making
Meta Description: Discover how intuition plays a crucial role in making impactful decisions as a CEO, backed by insights and experiences from industry experts like Riggs
URL: https://financedigest.com/ceo-riggs-eckelberry-of-originclear-discusses-the-power-of-intuition-in-running-a-successful-businesshtml

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_By_ **_Connor David,_** _Freelance Writer_

It is often said that a CEO of a company’s main role is to make a small number of high-quality, impactful decisions to dictate the direction and success of the business. All the easy stuff usually gets handled before it hits your desk. You must be decisive, strategic, and forward-thinking – all things associated with being a [top CEO](https://www.financedigest.com/top-diamond-producer-de-beers-names-equinors-cook-as-new-ceo.html "Top diamond producer De Beers names Equinor’s Cook as new CEO"). But an often-overlooked trait that is key in these dial-moving decisions, is having a strong intuition.

As Riggs Eckelberry, founder and CEO of [OriginClear](https://www.originclear.com/), put it, “intuition is being willing to recognize what is important without overthinking it. In other words, beyond the constant and sometimes numbing data flow that I get as a CEO (what [Elon Musk](https://www.financedigest.com/elon-musk-and-others-urge-ai-pause-citing-risks-to-society.html "Elon Musk and others urge AI pause, citing ‘risks to society’") calls “chores”), certain key data stand out, and you only will spot them if you use intuition. Behind intuition is a deep familiarity with the business you are in.” Great [advice](https://www.financedigest.com/financial-advice-for-starting-your-own-business.html "Financial advice for starting your own business") for those that have been in business a while, but what about those getting their start-us off the ground? Riggs adds, “If you are new to the business, then be [sure to stay connected to a mentor or a veteran of your industry](https://www.financedigest.com/making-sure-you-are-compliant-when-working-in-the-finance-industry.html "Making Sure You Are Compliant When Working in the Finance Industry") to get the “smoke signals” that this person will recognize.”

Data is essential, but often the numbers don’t [tell the whole](https://www.financedigest.com/are-your-it-team-telling-you-the-whole-truth.html "Are your IT team telling you the whole truth?") story. As we know, nothing in [life or business](https://www.financedigest.com/fears-of-two-year-shelf-life-has-businesses-struggling-to-innovate.html "Fears of two-year shelf life has businesses struggling to innovate") is black and white. There are grey areas and nuances to consider. To [incorporate intuition into business](https://www.financedigest.com/truic-evaluates-the-biggest-business-incorporation-companies-in-the-us.html "TRUiC Evaluates The Biggest Business Incorporation Companies in The US"), Riggs Eckelberry shares, “I use intuition to dictate rapid change in the company. The truth about [business is that it is a continuous](https://www.financedigest.com/despite-return-to-work-virtual-meetings-will-continue-to-disrupt-business-as-usual-in-finance.html "Despite Return to Work, Virtual Meetings Will Continue to Disrupt Business as Usual in Finance") creation, and you have to recognize new trends and jump on them. Yes, you can call it pattern recognition, but you have to intuitively make those leaps to [turn a pattern into a business](https://www.financedigest.com/tips-on-how-startups-can-turn-their-business-into-a-success.html "Tips on how startups can turn their business into a success") decision.”

Intuition aligns your mind and gut to make a decision that could have significant implications for your company. It means analyzing numbers, being strategic, but also a bit of something unexplainable where you just know. And it can take courage to make that sort of decision where you just have to follow your gut, though the people around you may not understand. Riggs Eckelberry shares, “Early on in my [company’s](https://www.financedigest.com/debt-strategies-for-funding-early-stage-companies.html "Debt Strategies for Funding Early Stage Companies") history, we had our first million-dollar sale to a major partner in Australia. But they promoted a very antagonistic person to the COO position. He started threatening to get a full refund on the entire thing – even though it had already been accepted onsite in Los Angeles by their own [chief engineer](https://www.financedigest.com/previous-chief-scientist-of-rsa-releases-smart-contract-connectivity-whitepaper-facebook-director-of-engineering-llvm-creator-joins-chainlink-advisory-board.html "Previous Chief Scientist of RSA Releases Smart Contract Connectivity Whitepaper, Facebook Director of Engineering & LLVM Creator Joins ChainLink Advisory Board")! And they were “incorporating” our [intellectual property](https://www.financedigest.com/white-bullet-releases-ad-funded-piracy-report-for-world-intellectual-property-organisation-wipo.html "White Bullet releases Ad Funded Piracy Report for World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)") into theirs. I decided the only way to go was to strike them hard with litigation. My backers were against it and thought we could lose our company. But by going very rapidly on the offensive, including mailing a copy of the suit to each of their [board members’](https://www.financedigest.com/passendo-powers-up-with-raft-of-new-board-members.html "Passendo powers up with raft of new board members") homes, I got their CEO to settle in our favor. He even came to the US to visit us and is, to this day, a Facebook friend! Intuition [must be backed](https://www.financedigest.com/occupational-health-and-safety-must-be-brought-back-to-the-forefront-of-esg.html "Occupational Health and Safety must be brought back to the forefront of ESG") by courage because it is sometimes tough to do something like this.”

As the CEO of OriginClear, Riggs Eckelberry aims to make the company a springboard of [innovation for water projects](https://www.financedigest.com/taylor-fay-homes-recruit-cordant-projects-for-innovative-property-initiative.html "Taylor Fay homes recruit Cordant Projects for innovative property initiative"). They conceptualize world-changing [ideas to solve many of the growing problems within the water industry](https://www.financedigest.com/5-business-ideas-influencing-the-travel-industry.html "5 business ideas influencing the travel industry"). They move quickly, think fast, and are always ahead of the curve. Riggs Eckelberry [shares a recent](https://www.financedigest.com/skull-deformity-implants-market-share-top-operating-players-recent-enhancements-and-regional-analysis-2028.html "Skull Deformity Implants Market Share, Top Operating Players, Recent Enhancements and Regional Analysis 2028") win. “We recently focused our [business on the emerging micro-communities for safe water](https://www.financedigest.com/5-simple-ways-in-which-your-business-can-save-water.html "5 simple ways in which your business can save water"). Human communities are going away from good [water service due to migration from cities and overburdened rural water systems](https://www.financedigest.com/rain-water-harvesting-systems-market-to-expand-at-close-to-7-cagr-through-2031.html "Rain Water Harvesting Systems market to expand at close to 7% CAGR through 2031"). And in the current dangerous environment, water autonomy is a necessity. We recognized this was a trend, and within a few days, we were making it our key company strategy!” The water industry is slow-moving, but OriginClear pivots fast and is constantly evolving to [solve the world’s water problems](https://www.financedigest.com/british-start-up-reveals-the-secret-to-solving-the-problem-of-identity-fraud.html "British start up reveals the secret to solving the problem of identity fraud"). Riggs also emboldens his [team to be part of the process](https://www.financedigest.com/paysafe-further-strengthens-its-payment-processing-management-team.html "Paysafe Further Strengthens its Payment Processing Management Team"). He shares, “I encourage a great [deal of debate and discussion](https://www.financedigest.com/greece-britain-discussing-parthenon-sculptures-return-but-deal-not-close-athens-says.html "Greece, Britain discussing Parthenon Sculptures return but deal not close, Athens says"). We have multiple chat groups and an environment where everyone is kept updated. This creates very fertile ground.”

[Investor buy-in and engagement are critical for a public company](https://www.financedigest.com/shipping-companies-feel-the-heat-as-investors-shun-coal.html "Shipping companies feel the heat as investors shun coal"), especially when intuitively changing strategy or direction. Riggs Eckelberry shares, “I do a weekly Zoom briefing to [bring our investors](https://www.financedigest.com/worlds-best-islands-bring-holidaymakers-and-investors-flocking-to-the-philippines.html "‘World’s best islands’ bring holidaymakers and investors flocking to the Philippines") up to speed either live or through replays. We’ve done more than 160 so far! These briefings are then broken down into many letters and messages to investors. We recognize that our [investors are our greatest asset](https://www.financedigest.com/analysis-investors-face-expensive-quest-for-year-end-cash-and-safe-assets.html "Analysis-Investors face expensive quest for year-end cash and safe assets"), and we treat them like insiders, to the extent we are allowed to by regulation.”

Always with something new on the horizon, Riggs Eckelberry shares what is next for OriginClear. “We’re very excited about Water4Us, an initiative to deliver safe, independent water to human communities. The twist is that these communities can adopt our [systems without spending any capital or hiring](https://www.financedigest.com/portugal-approves-new-vetting-system-after-string-of-hiring-scandals.html "Portugal approves new vetting system after string of hiring scandals") experts – it is water as a service!” To learn more about Riggs Eckelberry, OriginClear, and their many innovative water projects, you can join the weekly CEO briefings by signing up at www.oc.gold/ceo.


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